Friday, June 22, 2012

Designer Diary 6: Armour in Space Hulk: XT

On Wednesday, I broached the topic of Melee in Space
Hulk, breaking down published materiel for analysis. Later today I will be
posting further musings on this matter, including how new models will be incorporated
in Space Hulk: XT. First though, one other very important factor must be
addressed: Armour.

In
Space Hulk, armor is not applied in any way to melee.
Instead, it applies to ranged combat, affects movement and AP, and in some
cases will confer other special abilities (for example, Terminators may move
and fire with an Assault Cannon or similar weapons too cumbersome for other
infantry to do so).

There are only 3 existing armor classes in published
Space Hulk material. In terms of Space Hulk: XT, these are classified as
Toughness. Firstly, Genestealer Hybrids and Brood Brothers have a Toughness of
4, representing that they are either unarmoured or lightly armoured. Next,
Power-armoured Space Marines have a toughness of 5, representing their greater than
human resilience and highly advanced armor. Finally, Terminators are toughness
6, as they are not only tough, but encased in some of the most advanced armour
in the known galaxy. Purestrain Genestealers are also toughness 6 models, due
not just to their armour or toughness, but also to their incredible speed in
the confines of a Space Hulk.

Within the existing rules structure of Space Hulk,
these models are all equivalent in melee (assuming equivalent weaponry). Models
wearing less armor are assumed to have increased mobility in melee and a
greater chance to bring a weapon to bear, balancing out their effectiveness. The
primary difference here is weaponry. For example, a regular Terminator \
equipped with a Storm Bolter and Power Glove has high toughness, a good ranged
attack and 1d6 for melee. An Assault Marine with a standard loadout would have
a Chainsword and Bolt Pistol. This means he would have lower Toughness from his
armor (albeit slightly improved maneuverability) and a much weaker, shorter-ranged
shooting attack, though he would still roll 1d6 in melee.

Space Hulk is not only a very different type of battlefield
than you will find in Warhammer 40K: it is also a very different, and much more
brutally realistic, viewpoint of combat. In 40K, a Space Marine Captain might
have invulnerable saves and multiple wounds sufficient to take a pounding from
an anti-tank weapon squad and keep on kicking ass. That same Captain in Space
Hulk, while still nasty and hardcore, must now worry about a single lucky shot from
a Laspistol taking him out of action.

Both 40K and Space Hulk have many similar models,
and as I am attempting to show through this blog even more elements from the
40K universe can fully work within Space Hulk. While linked, however, they both
remain entirely unique, separate games.

-M

Special Edition Double Blog Post Day! Come back later today for more on Melee.